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163. The Data Sleuth Taking on Shoddy Science by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

163. The Data Sleuth Taking on Shoddy Science

from People I (Mostly) Admire

by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Published: Sat Aug 02 2025

Show Notes

Uri Simonsohn is a behavioral science professor who wants to improve standards in his field — so he’s made a sideline of investigating fraudulent academic research. He tells Steve Levitt, who's spent plenty of time rooting out cheaters in other fields, how he does it.

  • SOURCES:
    • Uri Simonsohn, professor of behavioral science at Esade Business School.

  • RESOURCES:
    • "Gino v. President and Fellows of Harvard College," (Court Listener, 2025).
    • "Statementfrom Dan Ariely," (2024).
    • "Data Falsificada (Part 4): 'Forgetting The Words,'" by Uri Simonsohn, Leif Nelson, and Joe Simmons (Data Colada, 2023).
    • "TheyStudied Dishonesty. Was Their Work a Lie?" by Gideon Lewis-Kraus (The New Yorker, 2023).
    • "Evidence of Fraud in an Influential Field Experiment About Dishonesty," by Uri Simonsohn, Leif Nelson, and Joe Simmons (Data Colada, 2023).
    • "Signingat the beginning makes ethics salient anddecreases dishonest self-reports in comparison tosigning at the end," by Lisa Shu, Nina Mazar, Francesca Gino, Dan Ariely, and Max Bazerman (PNAS, 2021).
    • "Power Posing: Reassessing The Evidence Behind The Most Popular TED Talk," by Uri Simonsohn and Joe Simmons (Data Colada, 2015).
    • "Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are," by Amy Cuddy (TED, 2012).
    • "DailyHorizons: Evidence of Narrow Bracketing in Judgment from 10 Years of MBA-Admission Interviews," by Uri Simohnson and Francesa Gino (Psychological Science, 2012).
    • "Spurious?Name similarity effects (implicit egotism) in marriage, job, and moving decisions," by Uri Simohnson (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2011).
    • "False-PositivePsychology: Undisclosed Flexibility in Data Collection and Analysis Allows Presenting Anything as Significant," by Joe Simmons, Leif Nelson, and Uri Simohnson (Psychological Science, 2011).

  • EXTRAS:
    • "Will We Solve the Climate Problem?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2025).
    • "Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
    • "When I'm Sixty Four," by The Beatles (1967).